Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Recruitment: Equality

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the UK Recruitment Diversity and Inclusion Index, published by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and the Association of Professional Staffing Companies on 14 June; and what steps they are taking to support small businesses to report on staff diversity.

Lord Callanan: Building a fairer economy means ensuring the UK’s organisations reflect the nation’s diversity.The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities published its independent report on 31 March 2021. The report is intended to be a roadmap to racial fairness in the UK and sets out 24 recommendations for further action across Government, public bodies and the private sector. This includes recommendations relating to ethnicity pay gap reporting and advancing fairness in the workplace. We welcome the opportunity to consider the Commission’s findings on this matter, and to consider them in light of the work that has already taken place within government.  The Government is now considering the independent report in detail and assessing the next steps for future government policy.

Business: Equality

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Henley Business School The Equity Effect, published on 7 June; and what steps they are taking to encourage businesses to have racially diverse workforces.

Lord Callanan: Building a fairer economy means ensuring the UK’s organisations reflect the nation’s diversity.The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities published its independent report on 31 March 2021. The report is intended to be a roadmap to racial fairness in the UK and sets out 24 recommendations for further action across Government, public bodies and the private sector. This includes recommendations relating to ethnicity pay gap reporting and advancing fairness in the workplace. We welcome the opportunity to consider the Commission’s findings on this matter, and to consider them in light of the work that has already taken place within government.  The Government is now considering the independent report in detail and assessing the next steps for future government policy.

USA: Spaceflight

Lord Collins of Highbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish an assessment of the (1) global security, and (2) national security, impact of the agreement in the form of an exchange of notes between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the United States of America on Technology Safeguards associated with United States Participation in Space Launches from the United Kingdom.

Lord Callanan: Securing global security and national security through non-proliferation are intrinsic objectives of the Technology Safeguards Agreement, which seeks to ensure that sensitive space launch technology is protected and may not be accessed by unauthorised parties. It is fully consistent with obligations under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), to which the United Kingdom and the United States are founding members, and with the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation, to which the United Kingdom and United States are subscribing states. The UK’s observance of international obligations and commitments, in particular in regard to non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the means of their delivery, through its commitments to the multilateral export control regimes, which include the MTCR, and other mechanisms such as the Hague Code of Conduct, has been UK Government policy for many years and was reaffirmed in the written statement to Parliament by the then Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skill, Dr Vince Cable, on the 25th March 2014. In addition, the Government’s Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy presented to Parliament by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister by Command Paper 203 (March 2021) highlighted the UK’s continued commitment and importance of safeguarding access to advance sensitive technologies to both State and non-State actors.

USA: Spaceflight

Lord Collins of Highbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards implementing the agreement in the form of an exchange of notes with the government of the United States of America on Technology Safeguards associated with United States Participation in Space Launches from the United Kingdom.

Lord Callanan: The Agreement will be enacted after the Space Industry Regulations 2021, currently before Parliament, are in force. The Space Industry Regulations 2021 provide powers for the government to realise its obligations under the Agreement.

Attorney General

Hillsborough Stadium Inquiry

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar on 14 June concerning recent acquittals in the case of perverting the Court of Justice in relation to the Hillsborough disaster (HL Deb, cols 1668–71), what discussions they have had with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) as to why the decision of the Court was not appealed; whether the DPP gave advice on the decision not to appeal; and whether the DPP intends to publish the advice not to appeal.

Lord Stewart of Dirleton: The decision not to pursue an appeal in these cases was made by the CPS team managing the original prosecution after seeking advice from senior counsel. Prosecution decisions are made independently from Government. The Director of Public Prosecutions did not provide advice on these cases. To bring an appeal, the prosecution would have to be able to show that the Judge’s decision was wrong in law, that he had made an error about the facts or that his decision was otherwise unreasonable. After careful consideration, especially for the families involved, the CPS concluded that it could not meet this test. On 26 May 2021, the CPS issued a public statement on this ruling and has confirmed publicly that the decision not to appeal was based on the conclusion that the legal test was not met.

Hillsborough Stadium Inquiry

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar on 14 June concerning recent acquittals in the case of perverting the Court of Justice in relation to the Hillsborough disaster (HL Deb, cols 1668–71), whether they have discussed with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) the reasons for not bringing charges in relation to misconduct in public office; and whether they have asked the DPP to publish those reasons.

Lord Stewart of Dirleton: The CPS carefully considered the available evidence against a wide range of suspects but the Code for Crown Prosecutors only permits the CPS to commence a prosecution where there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and where it is in the public interests to do so. The CPS brought prosecutions where the Code Test was met. The CPS makes prosecution decisions independently from Government. In June 2017, the CPS published a public statement following the decision to charge the three individuals with perverting the course of justice alongside other suspects referred for a charging decision at the same time. On 15 June, the DPP appeared before the Justice Select Committee and outlined the reasons why the CPS did not pursue misconduct in public office charges. Charges of misconduct in public office would only have been available against two of the three defendants and, the CPS assessed that perverting the course of justice was the correct charge against all three. The conduct alleged would have been identical whatever the charge selected. The DPP’s evidence is publicly available on the Justice Select Committee website.

Crown Prosecution Service: Internet

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byLord Wolfson of Tredegar on 14 June concerning recent acquittals in the case of perverting the Court of Justice in relation to the Hillsborough disaster (HL Deb, cols 1668–71), what plans they have to ask the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to revert to the practice of earlier DPPs of publishing their advice on their website.

Lord Stewart of Dirleton: The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) did not advise on these cases and there is no DPP advice to publish. Whenever appropriate the CPS will look to provide more detailed explanations about its decision making on its website. Throughout criminal proceedings relating to the Hillsborough disaster, the CPS has issued regular press statements, and published reasons for its decision making. In particular, in June 2017, the CPS published a public statement following the decision to charge the three individuals with perverting the course of justice alongside other suspects referred for a charging decision at the same time. On 26 May 2021 the CPS issued a public statement on this ruling and has confirmed publicly that the decision not to appeal was based on the conclusion that the legal test to do so was not met.

Department of Health and Social Care

Cardiovascular System: Diseases

Baroness McDonagh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what priority they are giving to managing cardiovascular diseases after the COVID-19 pandemic; what steps they intend to take (1) to better manage this disease, and (2) to work with international partners to reduce its incidence to meet (a) the WHO goal in 2025, and (b) the UN Sustainable Development Goal in 2030.

Baroness McDonagh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to raise the management of cardiovascular diseases with (1) G7 countries, and (2) G20 countries; and whether any such plans include sharing the best practice set out in the Public Health England Strategy 2020–2025, published 10 September 2019.

Lord Bethell: NHS England and NHS Improvement promoted restoration of cardiovascular disease (CVD) services as a priority, including diagnostic and treatment services for patients with heart failure and heart valve disease, as the peak of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic began to decline.   The United Kingdom Global Better Health Programme contributes to managing the impact of non-communicable diseases, including CVD, in its partner countries through technical collaboration which contributes to the World Health Organization and UN Sustainable Development Goals. The management of CVD has not been recently raised by the UK with G7 countries. The Department has recently commented on a working paper on CVD presented by the Italian Presidency of the G20 major economies. There are currently no plans to share Public Health England’s best practice.

Carers: Coronavirus

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussionsthey had with (1) carers’ unions, and (2) other bodies representing carers, before taking the decision to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for those working as carers.

Lord Bethell: The Department consulted on making vaccination a condition of deployment in older adult care homes from 14 April to 26 May 2021 and received more than 13,500 consultation responses. The Department also conducted extensive engagement, including meeting with organisations representing paid and unpaid carers, and with individuals with lived experience of care. These discussions have formed a crucial part of our policy development. Regulations were laid on 22 June to make vaccination a condition of entry in all Care Quality Commission-regulated care homes. Exemptions apply to service users and their friends or relatives; those under 18 years old; those providing emergency assistance or urgent maintenance work; those visiting service users who are dying or experiencing bereavement; and individuals who should not be vaccinated for clinical reasons.

Department for Education

Universities: Freedom of Speech

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure freedom of speech in British universities.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Ministers are working to ensure that lawful freedom of speech in higher education is supported to the fullest extent. The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill was introduced on 12 May 2021 in the House of Commons and will strengthen existing freedom of speech duties in England. It will directly address gaps within the existing law and extend the duties to cover students’ unions as well as higher education providers. The changes will introduce clear consequences for breaches of the new duties. This will ensure that freedom of speech and academic freedom are protected and promoted within higher education.A copy of the Bill as introduced can be found here: https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/41479/documents/212.

Teachers: Training

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the documentDelivering World-Class Teacher Development, published on 8 June, contains no reference to universities.

Baroness Berridge: The purpose of the Delivering World-Class Teacher Development publication is to describe how recent and upcoming reforms to teacher development, particularly the Early Career Framework (ECF) and National Professional Qualification (NPQ) reforms, build on one another and link together. It also provides detail on how some of these reforms will be delivered. The document was produced in response to stakeholder feedback that this kind of overview would be helpful.The sections on delivery and quality assurance are focused on ECF and NPQ delivery. They include references to Lead Providers and Delivery Partners, without describing the types of organisations who fulfil these roles. ECF and NPQ Lead Providers will include universities as well as charities and private companies. Universities also make up a significant proportion of the initial teacher training (ITT) market, although this document does not describe the ITT delivery system.

Motor Vehicles: Repairs and Maintenance

Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to close the skills gap to ensure that there are sufficient numbers of qualified mechanics capable of maintaining and repairing electric vehicles before the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars takes effect in 2030.

Baroness Berridge: The government recognises that training and re-skilling of the current automotive workforce will be vital as we end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030. According to the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), of the 182,000 vehicle technicians in the UK, only 21,000 are electrical vehicle (EV) qualified, and only 5% overall have a level 3 or 4 EV qualification. The government is taking a number of steps to support the sector and its workforce transition to net zero.As part of my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan for a green industrial revolution, nearly £500 million of funding for the Automotive Transformation Fund will be made available in the next 4 years to build an internationally competitive EV supply chain. This will help to secure the transformation of the automotive sector at pace, by developing and embedding the next generation of cutting-edge automotive technologies in the UK.We are also investing £16 million over 3 years to March 2022 in the industry led National Manufacturing Competitiveness Levels (NMCL) skills programme. NMCL is open to automotive suppliers across the UK, and is designed to improve their competitiveness, raise workforce capability, and improve productivity through the completion of a tailored business improvement plan.On top of this, the government is committed to working with the IMI to ensure the UK’s workforce of mechanics are well trained and have the skills they need to repair EVs safely.The IMI’s TechSafe scheme provides EV technicians with an easy and voluntary way to certify their competence. EV users will be able to access the register to check the EV competencies of technicians at their garage, supporting consumer confidence in this growing market.More widely, the Green Jobs Taskforce was launched last November, working in partnership with business, skills providers and unions to help the UK build back greener and deliver the skilled workforce needed to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Through the taskforce, we are engaging with industry experts, including those from the automotive sector such as Nissan, and the Automotive Council Skills Working Group, to help identify future skills needs. With help from the taskforce, we will ensure that our existing skills programmes (such as those set out in the recent Skills for Jobs White Paper and the Prime Minister’s recent Lifetime Skills Guarantee) can be directed to support the net zero agenda and help to identify where the evidence tells us we might need to go further or faster.The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education has convened a Green Apprenticeships Advisory Panel (GAAP) to guide the continued alignment of apprenticeships with net zero and wider sustainability objectives. The GAAP is employer-led and includes stakeholders with automotive experience, including in electric vehicles. It aims to help identify which apprenticeships directly support the green agenda and which may need to be refocused. The panel will also crucially identify where there are potential opportunities to create new green apprenticeships and identify employers to help take this work forward.

Graduates: Coronavirus

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyhave made of the Office for National Statistics Graduates ReportGraduates’ labour market outcomes during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: occupational switches and skill mismatch, published on 8 March; and what assessment have they made of the finding that over 25 per cent of employed graduates are employed in unskilled or low-skilled roles.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The government understands that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an adverse impact on students graduating this year, and we recognise that some graduates may face particular challenges gaining employment because of the ongoing impact of the pandemic on the UK labour market and economy. Students have responded to the pandemic with formidable resilience and motivation, demonstrating a clear ability to adapt and to learn at pace at a challenging time.As part of the government’s Skills Recovery Package Plan for Jobs, we are investing an additional £32 million in the National Careers Service up to March 2022. This investment will support delivery of individual careers advice for over 500,000 people whose jobs or learning have been affected by the pandemic (by the end of the 2021/22 financial year). This represents an increase of 22%.Recent findings from the Office for National Statistics’ Graduates Report has highlighted that there is a higher proportion of graduates who have switched occupation as a result of the pandemic. We have worked with a range of institutions across the higher education sector to understand what more we can do to support graduates who are looking to enter the labour market at this challenging time. We have also worked closely with the Quality Assurance Agency, professional bodies, and the Office for Students to ensure students continue to leave university with qualifications that have real value, reflect their hard work, and allow them to progress in life.To provide additional support, we have developed the ‘Graduate employment and skills guide’, aimed at students who are about to graduate, which was published on 10 May on the Office for Students’ website. The guide directs graduates to public, private, and voluntary sector opportunities to help them build employability skills, gain work experience, or enter the labour market, as well as providing links to further study options and resources on graduate mental health and wellbeing.We have also worked with Universities UK to develop a Sector Statement of Support, which was published on 10 May 2021 on Universities UK’s website. The statement outlines what higher education providers and the government are doing to support graduates and encourages graduates to take advantage of the support and resources available.We have also engaged with higher education providers to produce a collection of graduate employability case studies. Published on the provider-facing pages of the Office for Students’ website, these case studies showcase the breadth of innovative work and range of new measures that university and college careers services have introduced to support final-year students and recent graduates as they transition from university to graduate life.Where securing work is challenging, graduates may be able to access financial support. Graduates can apply for Universal Credit immediately after finishing a degree, and they can check their eligibility at https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/eligibility.The government wants every student to know that, when they undertake a higher education course, they can be confident that it has a strong chance of improving their life outcomes. A key element to assessing the quality of higher education courses is ensuring that graduates are achieving outcomes consistent with the higher education courses that they have completed. Our landmark Skills and Post-16 Education Bill makes clear the power of the Office for Students to enforce minimum expectations of student outcomes for universities, helping them to tackle low-quality provision and drive up standards. This is central to the approach taken by the Office for Students, which is currently consulting on setting minimum numerical baselines that providers will be expected to reach. We welcome that consultation and we expect it to lead to results.

Unemployed: Training

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have toensure that skills training programmes in emerging job markets are accessible for unemployed individuals.

Baroness Berridge: The ‘Skills for Jobs’ white paper, published in January 2021, sets out our blueprint to reform post-16 education and training. It is focused on giving people the skills they need, in a way that suits them, so they can get jobs in sectors the economy needs and boost this country’s productivity.We are supporting the largest-ever expansion of traineeships, providing funding for an additional 30,000 places in the 2020/21 academic year and a further 43,000 in the 2021/22 academic year, to ensure that more young people, with little or no work experience, have access to high-quality training. This includes providing £1,000 incentive payments for employers offering work placements. We are introducing occupational traineeships which are aligned to apprenticeship standards and will significantly increase the opportunities for young people to progress into apprenticeships or other employment.We are also committed to supporting more people to benefit from the high-quality training that apprenticeships offer across a range of sectors, including those at the start of their career or those looking to retrain. To help employers offer new apprenticeships, employers can claim £3,000 for each apprentice they take on as a new employee. We are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to enable Kickstart placements to turn into apprenticeships where that is the best option. We have also made a special provision to allow employers taking on ‘Kickstarters’ as apprentices to be eligible for the incentive payment, supporting a pathway between the schemes.The Adult Education Budget (AEB) fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3. This will support adults to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. This includes fully funded statutory entitlements in English and maths, up to and including level 2, fully funded first full level 2 and/or level 3 for learners aged 19 to 23 and fully funded specified digital skills qualifications, up to and including level 1. Unemployed individuals can benefit from the four statutory entitlements within the AEB. We continue to provide fully funded training up to Level 2 for unemployed people aged 19 and over through the AEB.Led by DWP, sector based work academy programmes (SWAPs) help employers with immediate and future employment needs by upskilling job seekers to fill locally identified vacancies. SWAPs will enable unemployed individuals to acquire the skills needed for local jobs. We remain committed to supporting DWP with training placements for the planned increase in the number of SWAP starts, during the 2021/22 financial year.From 1 April 2021, the government is supporting any adult who does not have A-levels or equivalent qualifications, to access almost 400 fully funded level 3 courses, with Free Courses for Jobs. The qualifications on offer range from engineering to social care to conservation, supporting adults to gain skills sought by employers.Skills Bootcamps offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer. Skills Bootcamps are available to adults aged 19 and over, who are in work or recently unemployed. People claiming Universal Credit are now able to access a greater range of these courses following an extension to the length of time they can attend work-focused study. The DWP has extended the length of time Universal Credit claimants can spend on full-time training from up to 8 weeks to up to 12 weeks throughout the UK, and up to 16 weeks in England for the purpose of attending Skills Bootcamps. This increase opens up a significant range of training opportunities for people claiming Universal Credit, including many courses which have been introduced as part of the Free Courses for Jobs offer. This will allow unemployed adults access to more training options and provide a better chance of finding work, while continuing to receive the support they need.

Apprentices: Registration

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the register of approved apprenticeship training providers to reopen to applicants.

Baroness Berridge: The register of apprenticeship training providers is open to applicants now, but only where the training they offer meets the definition of ‘critical workers’ in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak, with a linked employer endorsement to verify that any new training responds to an identified training gap. We will keep this approach to targeted entry to the register under review subject to the course of the COVID-19 outbreak, which will include any changes to the definition of ‘critical workers’ that may arise.That approach reflects the government’s plan to raise the quality of delivery across the apprenticeship training market, and to progressively introduce more stringent entry criteria for entry to the register. On that basis, we have also been recently inviting all current, active providers on the register to reapply.

Ministry of Justice

Child Trust Fund Maturity Working Group

Lord Young of Cookham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how often the Working Group on Child Trust Funds, announced by the Ministry of Justice in December 2020, has met.

Lord Young of Cookham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Working Group on Child Trust Funds, announced by the Ministry of Justice in December 2020, has produced a report.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Working Group on Child Trust Funds has met monthly. A report has not been produced, but regular updates have been provided to Ministers.

Prisoners

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many category C prisoners with an Imprisonment for Public Protection sentence are currently held in category A prisons.

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many category C prisoners with an Imprisonment for Public Protection sentence are currently held in category B prisons.

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many category A prisoners with an Imprisonment for Public Protection sentence are currently serving a sentence on recall.

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners with an Imprisonment for Public Protection sentence and given a category A status have been released.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The total number of Category C prisoners with an IPP sentence that were held in Category A and Category B prisons as of 31 March 2021 is shown in the table below. Security CategoryNumber of IPP PrisonersCategory A20Category B91 As of 31 March 2021, there were a total of three Category A prisoners with an IPP sentence that were serving a sentence on recall. A prisoner’s individual needs in relation to offending behaviour and resettlement, or their individual circumstances (such as medical requirements) may result in an individual being held in a prison of a higher category than their own approved category. Prisoners will not be allocated to a prison of a lower security category than the security category assigned to them personally. The information needed to provide a comprehensive answer to the final question (How many prisoners with an Imprisonment for Public Protection sentence and given a category A status have been released?), could be provided only at disproportionate cost as central data was not stored in a way that allowed for pre-2015 data to be obtained. Between 2015 and 2020, there were fewer than three releases of Category A IPP prisoners. The exact figure is not being provided as the release of some of this information would risk identification of the individuals concerned. However, it should not be assumed that the actual figure represented falls at any particular point within this scale. Notes for all figures:These figures have been drawn from the Public Protection Unit Database and Prison-NOMIS held by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. As with any large scale recording systems, the figures are subject to possible errors with data migration and processing.These figures include recalled prisoners.

Department for International Trade

World Trade Organisation: Reform

Lord Campbell of Pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have for the reform of the World Trade Organisation.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: The UK champions rules-based multilateral trade, and strongly supports the Director-General of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) efforts to drive forward reform. WTO reform has been a central aspect of this year’s G7 Trade Track discussions, which are seeking to build momentum and common ground ahead of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference. We are actively participating in discussions through bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral channels, including the G20 and Ottawa Group.Examples of specific proposals include our co-sponsorship of a proposal at the WTO Council for Trade in Goods to enhance WTO monitoring and transparency requirements, co-sponsorship of the Ottawa Group’s Trade and Health proposal, and submission of textual proposals to the E-Commerce Joint Initiative negotiations.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Universal Rights Group

Lord Austin of Dudley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure their support for the Universal Rights Group non-governmental organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland is contingent on that organisation's support for the UK’s policy priorities in the Middle East region; and in particular, the UK's priorities in respect of the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: HM Government respects the independence of civil society organisations. While HMG ensures objectives of projects it funds are clear and value for money, it is not contingent on support for other UK policy priorities.

Montenegro: Bilateral Aid

Lord Collins of Highbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much bilateral official development assistance they expect to provide to Montenegro in 2021/22.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Annual country-level allocations will be published in the FCDO's 2021 Annual Report later this year, and programme-level funding is regularly updated on DevTracker.Final country data is published in the Statistics for International Development each year, and spend for 2021 will be published in this document in autumn 2022.

Azerbaijan: Bilateral Aid

Lord Collins of Highbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much bilateral official development assistance they expect to provide to Azerbaijan in 2021/22.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Annual country level allocations will be published in our Annual Report later this year in the usual way, and programme level funding is regularly updated on DevTracker. Final country data is published in the Statistics for International Development each year. Final 2021 spend will be published in this document in autumn 2022.

Bosnia-Herzegovina: Bilateral Aid

Lord Collins of Highbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much bilateral official development assistance they expect to provide to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2021/22.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Annual country-level allocations will be published in the FCDO's 2021 Annual Report later this year, and programme-level funding is regularly updated on DevTracker.Final country data is published in the Statistics for International Development each year, and spend for 2021 will be published in this document in autumn 2022.

Armenia: Bilateral Aid

Lord Collins of Highbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much bilateral official development assistance they expect to provide to Armenia in 2021/22.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Annual country level allocations will be published in our Annual Report later this year in the usual way and programme level funding is regularly updated on DevTracker. Final country data is published in the Statistics for International Development each year. Final 2021 spend will be published in this document in autumn 2022.

Crimes against Humanity

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they aretaking to progress the proposed Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The United Kingdom supported the International Law Commission's work on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity and would welcome a convention. We will continue to seek consensus within the UN General Assembly Sixth Committee for a concrete timetable for negotiations.

Ministry of Defence

Ajax Vehicles: Testing

Lord Coaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many personnel have been injured in the process of testing Ajax armoured vehicles; and how many of these personnel needed hospital treatment.

Baroness Goldie: I take the noble Lord’s question as being in relation to the recent reports of noise and vibration related to Army personnel and in relation to the ongoing Ajax demonstration phase. Following tests on the noise impact on the inner ear, organised in response to reports of hearing issues, the demonstration phase trials were halted in November 2020 in order that appropriate mitigations could be put in place. All personnel who were at risk of noise exposure were offered hearing assessments. Of these, 21 incidents of hearing treatment have been recorded and, as a precaution, a further 83 soldiers, whilst fully deployable and not currently displaying any signs of noise induced hearing loss, will receive annual hearing tests. Trials resumed in May 2021 with restrictions on use and extra hearing protection mandated. Notwithstanding these measures this month, two soldiers reported symptoms of noise induced hearing loss, with one more being assessed. In order to ensure that protections are fully appropriate all Ajax activity (including independent testing at the Millbrook Proving Ground) has been paused (other than essential maintenance with mitigations in place). Regarding vibration: we are aware that five soldiers have specifically reported to their local medical centre with vibration related symptoms, but none required further treatment. There have been no reports of injuries requiring hospital treatment. At the request of Ministers, the Permanent Secretary established a review of Health and Safety aspects related to the vibration and noise concerns in the demonstration phase. As part of this review medical information (which is subject to confidentiality restrictions and updating) will be considered.

Department for Work and Pensions

Jobcentres: Armed Forces

Baroness Sherlock: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding hasbeen spent to date from the up to £6 million commitment for Armed Forces Champions which was made in 2019.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The planned additional recruitment to increase the number of Armed Forces Champions in April 2020 was paused due to the Department’s top priority during the pandemic being to focus on processing claims and paying people quickly, while supporting all those using Jobcentre Plus services. Due to the action we took, Universal Credit stood up to the test, providing a vital safety net for millions. Just as we delivered for them, we are determined to deliver for veterans which is why the Department has now introduced a new Armed Forces Champions model. The new model will comprise of 50 Armed Forces Champions alongside 11 Group Leads at managerial level. It means there will be at least one Armed Forces champion in each Jobcentre Plus district and for the first time they will provide help directly to veterans and others where additional support is needed. Resources in the new network are targeted where there are particularly high levels of demand, for example in garrison towns, and here the Armed Forces work will form a significant part of that done in individual Jobcentres.Officials in the Department have discussed the new model with a number of Armed Forces stakeholders, and so far it has been very well received. In addition to the Armed Forces Champions roles, all 27,000 Department Work Coaches are trained to provide veterans and others with the help and support they need. Our support to help veterans into jobs is unwavering with 84 per cent gaining employment within 6 months of discharge – higher than the employment rate of the wider population.

Local Housing Allowance

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the decision to freeze the Local Housing Allowance in cash terms on the ability of recipients to cover their rental costs.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: In April 2020 Local Housing Allowance rates were increased to the 30th percentile of local rents. This investment of nearly £1 billion provided 1.5 million claimants with an average £600 more housing support in 2020/21 than they would otherwise have received. LHA rates have been maintained at the same cash level for 2021/22 rather than reverting to previous rates which were much less generous. This provides a reasonable amount of support and ensures that all claimants who benefitted from the increased levels of housing support will continue to do so. For those who require additional support with housing costs Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available. Since 2011 we have provided over £1 billion in DHP funding. We have allocated a further £140 million for Discretionary Housing Payments for 2021/22 in England and Wales.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Farms: Tenants

Lord Teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have toprioritise reform of the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 to provide greater security for tenants occupying their farms on farm business tenancies.

Lord Teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they aretaking to improve security of tenure for farm business tenants occupying land under the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995.

Lord Teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk to agricultural productivity, sustainability andenvironmental improvement of (1) the average length of term on farm business tenancies being 3.21 years, and (2) almost 90 per cent of all new farm business tenancies being let for five years or less.

Lord Benyon: The Government recognises that longer-term tenancies can provide tenants with the security they need to invest in productivity and environmental improvements. However, feedback from industry stakeholders indicates that regulating for longer terms is not the right way forward as this could lead to landowners withdrawing from the let sector completely. A thriving let sector depends on landowners seeing the opportunity to let their land as a positive option. Also, some farm business models such as seasonal horticulture require shorter term lets. Instead of regulation the Government is looking at ways in which we can encourage more landlords to consider offering longer-term tenancies while retaining the flexibility that the farm business tenancy framework currently provides. This includes continuing to work with the Tenancy Reform Industry Group, which includes representatives of tenants, landlords and professional advisors, on encouraging a culture change within the sector to look at the opportunities that longer-term agreements offer in delivering productivity and environmental improvements which both landlords and tenants can benefit from.

Home Office

British Nationality: Children

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the High Court judgment in ST & VW v Secretary of State for the Home Department on 29 April, what steps they are taking regarding the application of section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009; and in particular how the judgment will affect the application of the No Recourse to Public Funds condition.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: In the judgment in the case of ST & VW v Secretary of State the Secretary of State for the Home Department was successful in five out of the six challenges brought against the No Recourse to Public Funds policy.We are currently reflecting on the judgment relating to Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 and the nature of any amendments required to the Immigration Rules and guidance.

Cabinet Office

Access to Information Central Clearing House: Staff

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people work for the Clearing House for Freedom of Information requests.

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Freedom of Information requests have been dealt with by the Clearing House in each of the last three years.

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the criteria for Freedom of Information requests to be passed to the Clearing House.

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Freedom of Information requests dealt with by the Clearing House have not been from those working for publications in each year since its inception.

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what the annual budget is for the running of the Clearing House for Freedom of Information requests, and (2) to give a breakdown of that budget.

Lord True: The Clearing House function does not have full time members of staff, and its work is done by a small team of people in the FOI team, including the Deputy Director of Freedom of Information and Transparency, alongside their other day to day responsibilities. There is no separate budget for the Clearing House.The Cabinet Office does not routinely capture data on the number of requests which are referred to the Clearing House. However, in 2020, Clearing House gave advice on 516 aggregated ‘round robins’ (requests made to more than one department and that have repeat characteristics); a small proportion of over 30,000 requests received by government departments in the same time period.The Cabinet Office has referred requests to the Clearing House where appropriate and in line with the published criteria, which is available on gov.uk here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-and-freedom-of-information.Information on Freedom of Information statistics is also published on gov.uk here - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

Treasury

Corporation Tax

Lord Hannan of Kingsclere: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherparliamentary approval will be required for a future increase in the world minimum rate of corporation tax under Pillar 2 of the framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting.

Lord Hannan of Kingsclere: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of theimpact of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's proposal for a global minimum corporation tax on the ability of the UK Government to adjust its domestic taxation policy.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: It is a UK priority to reach a comprehensive two-pillar solution addressing the tax challenges of digitisation. The details of a final agreement, including on the exact framework for implementation, are still subject to international negotiation. If a political agreement is reached and both pillars are implemented in the UK, they will be subject to the normal tax policymaking process. That would include legislation in the relevant Finance Bill, with impacts then being formally assessed and set out in a Tax Information and Impact Note upon the introduction of the legislation. Any significant subsequent changes to that legislation would likewise be made through a future Finance Bill.

Non-domestic Rates: Reviews

Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the results of their fundamental review of business rates; and when they expect that proposals for reform resulting from that review will be available for parliamentary scrutiny.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: As set out in the Government’s Interim Report, published in March 2021, the final report of the Fundamental Review will be published by Autumn 2021.

Taxation: International Cooperation

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to deliver on the international agreement on global tax reform agreed by the G7 on 5 June.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government is delighted that the G7 has, under the UK’s Presidency, reached an agreement on how the international tax framework should be reformed in response to the challenges created by globalisation and digitisation. These reforms would involve two pillars; changing where multinational group profits are taxed as well as requiring a minimum level of tax to be paid on profits in each jurisdiction. The Government believes that the G7 agreement provides the basis for a more comprehensive agreement at the level of the G20 and the 139 members of the OECD Inclusive Framework, and is working actively and constructively with other countries to support this aim.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Events Industry: Insurance

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of providing a government-backed insurance indemnity package against the risk of cancellation for festivals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Baroness Barran: This Government recognises the importance of the UK’s live events sector and has provided significant financial support including an additional £300M to the Culture Recovery Fund details of which were announced on Friday 25th June. The DCMS Secretary of State made clear at the DCMS Select Committee in May, the government is aware of the wider concerns around securing indemnity for live events and we continue to assess options to provide further support to the sector within the public health context.The Secretary of State also underlined that the government’s first priority is to remove remaining barriers (such as social distancing) by reaching Step 4 of the Roadmap. Once that point is reached, if events still cannot go ahead because of a failure of the commercial insurance market, the Government will look at intervening as was done for the TV/Film sectors.